Monday, May 30, 2011

Random Ramblings from the Vault...

So, apparently Tom Savini is returning to makeup duties after years of pretending to be a movie star, lending his considerable skills to the upcoming Australian horror flick Mary Doe. While that's an amazing coup for the Aussies, will someone please tell me why George Romero couldn't coax him to do the same? It certainly would've saved us from the horrendous CGI of the last three Living Dead films...

True Blood Season 4 is fast approaching, which means it's time for ol' B-Sol to renew his HBO subscription. Don't get me wrong, it's fun going over my parents' to watch the highly addictive Game of Thrones, but I need to be settled into my own comfy couch for the further adventures of Sookie and Bill. Witches this season, too? Bring it on.

The sequel to Piranha 3D--brilliantly titled Piranha 3DD--is reportedly going to be far more "over the top" than its predecessor. Because of course, that film was the picture of restraint. One can only imagine what will be unleashed come November. I, for one, had a blast with the first one, so I'm sure I'll be there, hands partially covering my eyes like last time...

I finally caught Let Me In, Matt Reeves' American adaptation of the Swedish novel Let the Right One In, previously adapted by Tomas Alfredson in 2008. The original is very near to my heart, but that did not prevent me from enjoying this new version. It's more horror-based, which also means it lacked some of the emotional gravitas of the superior Swedish version. And while a well-made film, I could not shake the notion that it was completely unnecessary, from an artistic standpoint.

Is there anything more delightful than sharing the wonders of The Abominable Dr. Phibes with someone who's never seen it before? I think not.

What is it about Lucio Fulci's films that continue to draw me in and make me defend them to those who just don't understand his greatness? Granted, he was no Dario Argento (when Argento was at his best, at least), but I do feel he was a far better filmmaker than he generally gets credit for.

It's not entirely horror, but I'd like to pass along the name of a pretty nifty little sci-fi thriller I'm reading at the moment--Hunter's Run by George R.R. Martin (of Game of Thrones fame), Gardner Dozois & Daniel Abraham. I'm about one third of the way through this gripping little page-turner, in which the human race, attempting to branch out to other worlds, finds itself ghetto-ized by the far more advanced species already out there. Good stuff.

I've asked this question before, but it bears repeating: Who is our top modern-day horror movie icon? Past generations had the likes of Lon Chaney, Boris Karloff and Vincent Price. Who, in your humble opinion, dear readers, do we have now?

Still not sure how I feel about this whole Toho Godzilla reboot for next year. A CGI 'Zilla? Doesn't that make Toho into hypocrites, after (rightfully) ridiculing the American version in Godzilla: Final Wars?

For those who don't already know, the Avon Theatre in Stamford, CT is the place to go for some amazing old school horror cinema on the big screen. It's been a distinct pleasure to host their Cult Classics series along with Captain Cruella, and we will be returning for the following engagements: John Carpenter's Halloween (June 16), Alligator (July 7), It Came from Outer Space - IN 3D! (July 21), David Cronenberg's Rabid (August 4; to be shown as a double-feature with another top-secret Marilyn Chambers movie. Do the math.), and Troll 2 (August 11). See you there!

I'm still trying to figure Fulci out somewhat myself, though I think I like his non-horror stuff better than his horror stuff thus far (having said which, Zombie Flesh Eaters did seem a bit better on a recent second viewing). I suspect on the whole he's probably not as good as his rabid fanboys would have us believe, but equally he's not as bad as the haters think. I have a loan of Four Of The Apocalypse at the moment, be interesting to see him in Western territory...

Savini should definitely get back in the saddle for a major effects release. Maybe even with a few folks from his school.

Can't wait for True Blood. Best vamp deaths... maybe since Lost Boys.

Fulci is chaos. He continues this strange Euro Horror tradition of throwing ever single horrific element at you at once and letting you decide which things scares you the most. Great music in all his films like Argento. Sometimes his films just take a bit longer to decipher. They're never straightforward horror attacks. Less Hollywood than Argento.

Modern-day horror movie icon? I would say Jeffrey Combs, Lance Henriksen... Or are those guys too old school? Someone more recent? I like that Melissa George (30 DAYS OF NIGHT, THE CRAZIES) has sorta become a genre fave. If she keeps this up she could become a horror icon to watch out for...

- When you said the thing about the last several Living Dead films having horrible CGI, I immediately thought of the head-on-fire scene. Then I looked and saw that exact picture next to the post.

- I didn't see the Let Me in Remake, but I saw a clip of it at SDCC. I remember thinking pretty much exactly what you said: It looked extremely faithful, in tone, to the original, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out what the purpose of remaking it could be.

- Maybe we're long-lost twins because my thoughts also align exactly with yours concerning the CGI Godzilla reboot. I read a while back that the director said, concerning the CGI, that he wanted to update the franchise for modern audiences. There is one crucial flaw in this reasoning, though: Godzilla has *never* been up to special-effects par with any of its installments, even in the original Gojira. That has historically accounted for much of its charm. I thought this was a pretty universally-accepted truth. Apparently the people closest to the project never caught on to that. *sigh*

James and Jimmy, that's a very well-considered opinion, and I can't really dispute it. Again, I don't consider Fulci one of the greatest horror directors ever, but he was WAY better than he gets credit for.

JD, Henriksen and Combs are very good choices that are tough to dispute. I guess we'd have to put Bruce Campbell on that list, as well!

Robert, I'd say that Let Me In is definitely worth a look, if only to compare the two. It's a good film, just kind of unnecessary.

I had the Let Me In sitting in my place for over a month before finally sending it back to Netflix unwatched. It made it on my queue intially b/c of positive reviews from great blogs like this. But in the end I just never was interested enough to watch it.

I'd vote for Robert Englund for modern horror movie icon, even if that seems a little dated. I think it says a lot about the state of horror that there aren't more that pop right in your mind. It was interesting reading in camp crystal memories that with every sequel they essentially replaced each previous Jason to save a few bucks. With most of today's best in the genre seeming to be smaller budget, higher concept, is it possible studios seem reluctant to invest in recurring actors b/c of increasing salary demands?

Which horror film *should* be remade?

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I've been fascinated with horror ever since my parents let me watch The Exorcist at 8 years old (what were they thinking??) and I ran up to my bed screaming when Linda Blair's eyes rolled into the back of her head.Although it often gets a bad rap from "mainstream" critics and audiences alike, horror has often been the most creative and vibrant movie genre of all, from Nosferatu to Saw. Some of the finest motion pictures ever made are part of the horror genre, including Frankenstein, Psycho, The Shining and my personal all-time favorite, George Romero's Dawn of the Dead.This blog is the culmination of my 25-year love affair with all things blood and guts--so check back here often for news and opinion on the world of horror. And remember...